[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6678250,"mediaKeyId","2112831-437c0b6ff245df67ea90f4e64a399880","parentId",2112831,"title","Committee begins update to Tacoma economic development strategy; focus on neighborhood business districts and tools to prevent displacement","audioSeconds",3387,"startMs",2416580,"endMs",5804385,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2112831-437c0b6ff245df67ea90f4e64a399880&start=2416&end=5804","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2112831-437c0b6ff245df67ea90f4e64a399880/thumbnail_2416580.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6678250/Tacoma/Pierce-County/Washington/Committee-begins-update-to-Tacoma-economic-development-strategy-focus-on-neighborhood-business-districts-and-tools-to-prevent-displacement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6678250-1f31259f456852972f754281a2ffe8a3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771019363&Signature=RcgbxMwAdCdxhvaL4WdAHKxtyj6Bdz9AnAyfdA0TuHariLMT0g8ZVJxxzEP4v8ij9bXV3O6qPbWRaZtCqYSsuAcdpAW9deMIOcnEAN40JZ9cBic9RsApKxiSdMZSRbemvZG5T-Z9sDSAgDJAanwerf~koLW75yhwhPmeej6w8XDVCVKQJjwkoD2qN-ez4IBIF~2WFFf3tv~CR77NgUhMPUybqetW4c2ZT~Fuo2sjdNeXQ7fQU-XcEjZhRxyTChjcY-ndNH0DEmTpCCGwlPt6jus9gsBTCzeAGdxaUBmGE-jDlehO9CAn5zOsyu1gglFFDEOIrN42tve9Il~uQYQxaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tacoma","date","2025-01-14T00:00:00Z","article","The Economic Development Committee held a work session Jan. 14 to begin updating Tacoma’s 2020–2025 economic development strategic plan and to review focus area 4: neighborhood business district revitalization. Rebecca Solverson, division manager for Arts and Cultural Vitality, and Sherry Hart, business and economic development analyst, summarized recent accomplishments and asked the committee for direction on prioritization, stakeholders, anti‑displacement measures and program changes.

Solverson framed the discussion by noting changes since the original plan’s 2019 adoption and the role of community in economic development. “This focus area, I think, is the one that really highlights how community and economic development support each other and are really one and the same,” she said. Solverson and Hart reviewed programs and projects the department has led in recent years, including the Links to Opportunity Project tied to the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension, Business Improvement Area (BIA) work in the Hilltop and plans for BIA efforts on Sixth Avenue and in South Tacoma, and property‑ownership support that helped small legacy businesses such as Burger Soul and Bob’s Barbecue.

Hart described project accomplishments, cross‑department partnerships and program changes. She said work included contractor support for community-driven corridor design in Hilltop, design assistance to local business owners, storefront and restaurant retrofit grants during the pandemic, and a “defederalization” of the city’s revolving loan fund to remove prevailing wage requirements that the department said had been an administrative barrier for small projects.

Committee discussion focused on how best to target limited staff and funding, how to support both established and nascent business clusters, and how to provide practical assistance—such as commercial leasing workshops, language access and navigators—to businesses preparing to occupy commercial space. Multiple councilmembers urged staff to prioritize districts where public investment or rapid private‑sector transition is occurring and to lean on existing business district associations and brokers for local intelligence.

Councilmembers and staff discussed whether to maintain an inventory of vacant or underused properties. Staff described a recent windshield survey completed in late 2024 but cautioned that maintaining a comprehensive inventory is labor intensive; several councilmembers suggested relying on business district associations and commercial brokers for ongoing, local information. Councilmembers also recommended a clearer pathway for nonofficial clusters—areas with several businesses that are not formal associations—to access planning and modest funding, and they advocated for continued investment in TA and workshops to help owners with leases, permits and building upgrades.

Committee chair Trey Daniels said staff have long discussed updating the neighborhood business district ordinance. “We have wanted to refresh, reframe the neighborhood business district ordinance, which is part of the administrative plan that lays out some of the things you just talked about,” he said, adding that staff expect to propose changes that would allow the program to respond to both formal business-district association needs and smaller, cluster‑based needs.

Several councilmembers urged that the program be structured so city assistance does not disproportionately consume staff time chasing absentee owners or properties that have no interest in activation. Staff said the department will consider more flexible, clearly articulated criteria for when to invest staff time and when to prioritize neighborhood or district applications that demonstrate local organization and readiness.

Ending: Staff will use the committee’s input to draft revised program language and recommended changes to the neighborhood business district approach; they plan to return with more concrete proposals and edits to the ordinance and program guidelines for committee review.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Tacoma - 20250114 Economic Development Committee - Jan 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented accomplishments and solicited council input Jan. 14 on the 2026–2030 economic development strategic plan, focusing on neighborhood business district revitalization, business improvement areas, vacant property strategy, flexible lending, and capacity‑building for nonofficial business clusters.","taxTitle","Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington","taxId",2675,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6678255,"Tacoma to deploy $4 million in state CRP funds for loans, rent and asset grants to locally based businesses",822,124650,947450,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2112831-437c0b6ff245df67ea90f4e64a399880&start=124&end=947","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2112831-437c0b6ff245df67ea90f4e64a399880/thumbnail_124650.jpg","/articles/6678255/Tacoma/Pierce-County/Washington/Tacoma-to-deploy-4-million-in-state-CRP-funds-for-loans-rent-and-asset-grants-to-locally-based-businesses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6678255-b25dddf5224b6b2a5707883a46eb7f12/orig.mp4?Expires=1771019363&Signature=Rn5bZg0Um2vP7o7Emmr1o0CDxWhxXubsbCZrkv5luiT1k25c-3qFjZcIUTCbSapkQm4s8SRGg1lloZQ6bIZwupf1aJT5eFf3Kx-RcYEWvBsfMJNP4oFdwbsnjdvnKX4s-yuAB2pUyKay9GkYGtt-eWtpV8nyIo0yuZ4D8C5yiDcxFqxy6MIew8OPJv2EcqOIyFbpXo4gYTW~WniWBqqam9RDEpN06RZg2UjwPIoUxHjiqs-AAGHDezikvqgkjQb5YoEFMJZQF86g-xQC8FDYntjFX7~jb3dHRRBYENXrYdJ973oFno0K5QR4YAgROb-pnnXEAPEYKEIYXtPcIYdrZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tacoma’s Economic Development Committee heard a briefing Jan. 14 on a $4 million Community Reinvestment Project allocation from the Washington State Department of Commerce that city staff plan to deploy as loans and grants for Tacoma-based businesses and nonprofits. City staff said the package is intended to benefit communities harmed by the historical enforcement of drug laws and must be spent under a Commerce timetable that staff characterized as “aggressive.”

The CRP funding comes through the Department of Commerce’s Blended Capital Enhancements Program. “The CRP is a program of the Washington State Department of Commerce. This community design plan is intended to uplift communities that were harmed by the historical design and enforcement of state and federal criminal laws and penalties for the war on drugs,” Business and Economic Development Analyst Georgia Patterson told the committee.

City staff described the $4 million allocation as split into two loan products totaling $2.6 million and two grant streams totaling $1 million. The loan programs include an Uplift loan (collateral-free loans up to $100,000 intended for existing businesses or nonprofits with at least three years of operation) and an Accelerator loan (larger loans up to $1,000,000 aimed at longer‑standing businesses for property acquisition or major investments). The grant programs are a commercial rent grant (50% rent match for one year, up to $25,000) and a commercial assets grant (up to $25,000 for equipment, inventory or infrastructure).

Patterson said the city will use flexible, “risk-embracing” underwriting that adjusts standard banking ratios and adds nonfinancial indicators tied to the CRP mission, including questions about how a business was impacted by the war on drugs. She added that the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority (TCRA) will administer the loan funds through the city’s revolving loan fund (RLF). “With successful repayment, the $2,600,000 that we are investing into loan programs will be retained in a new revolving loan fund, which represents the first nonfederal investment into our RLF since 1979,” Patterson said.

Staff described program goals, target populations and outreach. The target audience includes businesses owned by Black, Latino and Indigenous entrepreneurs, legacy businesses, social enterprises, businesses in low-opportunity areas (as identified through the City of Tacoma Equity Index), and graduates of local accelerators and incubators. Staff said they will also use historical police-mapping tools—referred to in the presentation as SOAP and SODA maps—to prioritize locations historically overpoliced and harmed, but with the aim of directing benefits to those communities.

Patterson outlined an expedited timeline supplied by Commerce: the city signed its contract with Commerce the day before the briefing; the application was scheduled to be released Jan. 21; applications will close March 14; underwriting and scoring will occur in late March and early April; notifications are expected in early April; disbursements are planned for April–May; and the grant closeout must be complete by June 2025. “We essentially have 6 months to spend $4,000,000,” Patterson said.

Staff discussed technical assistance and outreach. The city has budgeted $100,000 to contract culturally competent small‑business technical assistance (TA) providers and said it had already selected two TA contractors: REVV (an out‑of‑state firm that will deliver in‑person services) and Golden Gift Consulting (a local Lakewood firm). Patterson said the city will host information sessions and application clinics and has shared a program matrix so businesses and partners across Pierce County can stack or coordinate funding. She noted other CRP grantees working in Pierce County, including the Urban League (reported in the briefing as a $5,000,000 award), Making a Difference Foundation (about $1,000,000) and Workforce Central.

Committee members pressed staff on eligibility and access. Patterson said uplift loans require a three‑year operating history, accelerator loans require five years, and the grants require one year of operation as of Jan. 1, 2024. She explained Tacoma residency rules: home‑based businesses must have the applicant’s residence within Tacoma city limits; brick‑and‑mortar businesses must have a physical location in Tacoma. Staff also described language‑access plans, translated materials, on‑site interpreter request procedures for events and use of an online application host (Submittable) with translation capability.

Council members raised implementation questions—how the city will help businesses navigate leases, the need for enrollment flexibility for loan applicants working with TA providers, and the possibility of transferring unused loan funding to grants if demand for loans falls short. Patterson said staff requested that flexibility from TCRA in their administrative approval to move funds from loans to grants if necessary and that TA providers will have discretion to finalize applicant documents when needed within the open application window.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the CRP package during the briefing. Staff said they will proceed with the published application and outreach schedule and return to the committee after the application round to report results and lessons learned.

Ending: The application release is scheduled for Jan. 21, with info sessions Jan. 29 and Feb. 6 and application clinics to follow. Staff emphasized the compressed Commerce deadline and said city partners will be mobilized to help applicants submit competitive materials.

","City staff told the Economic Development Committee Jan. 14 that Tacoma will administer a $4 million Washington State Community Reinvestment Project (CRP) allocation through two loan products and two grant programs, with applications opening Jan. 21 and a hard spending deadline of June 2025.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee begins update to Tacoma economic development strategy; focus on neighborhood business districts and tools to prevent displacement

Tacoma to deploy $4 million in state CRP funds for loans, rent and asset grants to locally based businesses